Welcome to Bimmerfest -- The #1 Online Community for BMW related information! Please enjoy the discussion forums below and share your experiences with the 200,000 current, new and past BMW owners. The forums are broken out by car model and into other special interest sections such as BMW European Delivery and a special forum to voice your questions to the many BMW dealers on the site to assist our members!

I have seen several threads on bike racks for X series. After pondering roof and hitch options I found myself still wishing that the interior rack that attaches to the tie-down rails was available for 2011+. After pondering some rather elaborate schemes I settled on a solution to build my own with relatively inexpensive parts and materials.

First was to source some aluminum tube. I am fortunate to have a great metal supplier just around the corner but most folks should find something similar locally. I decided on 1.5"x.75" rectangular tubing with 1/8" wall thickness. A 42" length cost about $14.00US.

Hardware: Yakima has a reasonable and useful fork mount called the "blockhead". They sell a locking version and a standard version. As this will be mounted inside a vehicle the locks are unnecessary and bring the price down to $20US per. This was not rocket science, the plan was to bolt down the bar and the fork mounts. Basic plan measure twice, drill and fasten. I found 1.5" x 1/4 bolts and nuts we're perfect. The only experimental part of the hardware was making an insert for the cargo rails. I used a 1/4" delrin type industrial plastic. A scrap piece from the local TAP plastic store was $.50. Carefully shaving down the plastic insert until it just barely enters the channel and when sliding into position holds a sufficient purchase on the rail system. The other tricky bit was counter sinking the 1/4" nut into the plastic insert. I wanted a fairly flush surface, so having the excess bolt and nut facing downward into the cargo rail was the goal. Counter sinking the nut into the insert also becomes the "wrench" that holds the nut in place while tightening to the bed of the cargo area. I fashioned an additional piece of plastic to act as a washer between the rack and the aluminum rails of the cargo bed.

A quick shot of Krylon, a brand loyal decal, and I was ready for final instal. I'll have to get a pic with the bike inside. It is a tight fit with two bikes and some combinations may not work, but it is definitely sufficient for my road bike.

Just curious. I have the interior rack for my 2007 X3. Very happy with it. Has more pieces and a positive lockdown system to avoid the bikes shifting, which it looks like your clone doesn't include. Did you double check whether the old interior rack fits or doesn't fit in the F25?

I'm not sure what a "positive lockdown system" means in this application. With the forks mounted, the bike does not move. I believe the OEM system had a long rail that the rear wheel sat in, perhaps this is what you are referring to. Link a pic if you get a chance. The rack is not listed as compatible with 2011+. I was not able to verify this as fact! But there are several other threads pondering this conundrum as well as other DIY threads. It was a pricey item to purchase just to have it not fit. I believe the luggage rails on the F25 have different dimensions.

Here is a nice post in a thread on another forum. It includes pictures of the OEM rack installed in an F25. I think I would be disappointed in the single sided fit although this poster feels it works fine. You can see the fit problems in the pictures.

I'm not sure what a "positive lockdown system" means in this application. With the forks mounted, the bike does not move. I believe the OEM system had a long rail that the rear wheel sat in, perhaps this is what you are referring to. Link a pic if you get a chance. The rack is not listed as compatible with 2011+. I was not able to verify this as fact! But there are several other threads pondering this conundrum as well as other DIY threads. It was a pricey item to purchase just to have it not fit. I believe the luggage rails on the F25 have different dimensions.

Sorry, I read over your description too quickly. Now I see you've secured the crossbar on both sides to the rails with your mounting system -- that's what I meant by "positive lockdown system".

The OEM uses two crossbars, one for the fork, the other to secure the track which holds the rear wheel. It might be a little more secure than what you devised, but yours seems more secure than installing the E83 accessory where it is attached only to the right railing (as shown in the picture posted and linked in this thread where someone installed the E83 BMW accessory in the F25). I think that picture proves that the old interior rack is not compatible in the new X3 without modifications or compromises.

I can look for a picture of my interior rack if you're still interested.

Gatesbox, a very nice clean design you made! I made a similar one using a book shelf metal bar instead of aluminum tube for cross bar. I saw someone mentioned in the biemmerfest about hand-tighten bolt/nut set from HomeDepot. With this set, it is very easy to install/remove the rack (see attached photo). Also, I installed the fork mounts staggered front and back each other so that bike handles will be staggered. This was neccessary for wider handles of mountain bikes since X3 is not wide enough.

Looks nice Z! I like those tension knobs..... I have left the rack in for a while now and it is surprisingly low profile. Just went on a Costco run and did not loose any cargo space to the rack.... It is kinda funny to see pics of such a similar DIY job. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.